αCentauri’s mission is to win the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge and empower generations of students along the way.
We design and manufacture a solar racing car to compete with more than 20 teams in a 3000 km race that takes us across Australia’s rough Outback. Our success is rooted in pushing the current technological boundaries to their limits by working closely with industry and academia.
Our goal is to leave a sustainable impact on Swiss students, partners, and the public alike, and innovate in the spirit of excellence, representing ETH Zurich and Switzerland as the home of the world’s best engineering.
The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC) is the most prestigious showcase of solar powered vehicles and innovation in sustainable energy applications. The objective is to design and build a solar car capable of crossing the Australian Outback at the highest average speed using sunlight as the only energy source.
The race starts in Darwin and finishes over 3000 km later in Adelaide, consisting of 4-6 days including camping in the Outback and driver swaps at control stops.
The event occurs every two years and attracts teams from more than 20 countries, international corporations, researchers, and educational institutions. It is followed by a big media presence, with a documentation on YouTube from BWSC 2019 having reached 56+ million people.